The Friend I see in you
by Henka-Chan
Summary: Co author Spunky0ne A silent, traumatized boy arrives on Victor and Yuuri's doorstep, with a note that identifies him as the son of Victor's old friend and former lover, who has died. As Yuuri struggles to cope with his sadness that he can never give Victor a child, their little family is threatened by the same people who took the life of the boy's father. Yuuri/Victor. Yaoi.
1. Chapter 1: The Picture

**I do not own these characters nor do I make any profit from this story.**

**I would like to thank mt good friend SpunkyOne for being my co author on this project. If you are not familure with her work check it out. You will not be disappointed.**

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**Chapter one: The picture**

Yuuri Katsuki stretched out on the bed in his hotel room, where he was staying while competing in yet another skating competition.

_The competition is going really well, and I know it's because of Victor. He's not just a wonderful coach, Victor is an amazing lover and husband! _

Speaking of his love, Yuuri had to fight not to laugh at how his lovely spouse was sprawled out lazily on the bed next to him. He smiled and laid back down since he had gotten up to look at Victor.

"Wake up little piggy," Victor purred in Yuuri's ear, causing the young man to startle.

Victor laughed at this.

"We have time for a short practice before we have to be at the airport. Don't think I'm going to go easy on you just because you're doing so well or just because you're my husband now. What kind of coach would I be if I did that?" Victor Nikiforov, skating legend, teased his husband.

"I'll need a shower first," Yuuri yawned, stretching languidly.

"Is that so?" Victor chuckled, climbing out of the bed and pulling Yuuri along with him, "Then, I'll take one with you."

"You already had a shower today," Yuuri giggled, "You don't need another one."

Victor moved in close and curled an arm around Yuuri's waist.

"I will very soon," he breathed into his husband's ear, making the tender earlobe blush.

"Victor!" Yuuri laughed, trying to push him away, but only ending up more entangled in Victor's arms, "We won't have any time left for practice if you seduce me in the shower."

Victor batted his eyes coyly.

"I'm not the one doing the seducing. It's you," he accused Yuuri playfully, grabbing at his bottom as he tugged his husband's yukata free.

Yuuri yelped and started to object, but he suddenly found his open mouth being invaded by Victor's commanding tongue. Victor's strong arms held him firmly and the two kissed as Victor nudged him towards the bathroom. Their oral play continued as the shower warmed, then Victor kissed him once more on the cheek and let him walk into the shower.

Yuuri sighed as he stepped in under the steamy spray and Victor moved in behind him, holding one arm around his waist and sliding the other down to stimulate his awakening genitals.

"Mmmmmm, Victor," Yuuri sighed as they kissed over his naked shoulder.

"Love you," Victor moaned, running his tongue along Yuuri's smiling lips, then dipping inside him mouth again.

"Love you too!" Yuuri panted, moving his hips to thrust into his lover's stroking hand, "That feels good…"

"You like that?" Victor asked, nipping at the side of his neck, "I can do something you'll like even better!"

"O-oh! V-victor!"

Victor turned suddenly, pushing his surprised lover back against the tiled wall. It should have felt cold, but Yuuri didn't notice if it was. All he could feel was the warmth coming from Victor's loving eyes, his warm, wet mouth and caressing hands. Victor worked his way slowly down Yuuri's chest, over his soft stomach, pausing to plunge his tongue into his already panting partner's deep navel. He continued downward, kissing all around the hungriest parts of his husband, that blushed furiously and leaked wantonly. Victor let just the tip of his tongue make contact and Yuuri gasped and nearly climaxed. He was only held back by the hand Victor wrapped firmly around his thickness.

"Not yet, _solnyshko_," Victor chided him.

Yuuri shuddered and dug his fingers into his husband's silvery hair, trying to guide him. Victor touched him with just the tip of his tongue again and Yuuri swore.

"What's this?" Victor snickered, "Bad language? What will we do about that?"

Yuuri groaned luridly at the intensity of the stimulation that followed, that brought him tantalizingly close to orgasm, but stopped him short each time. And while Victor's mouth was teasing him, his husband's fingers carefully prepared him. When he was ready, Victor kissed his way back up Yuuri's slender body, then sank into his mouth.

"See how good you taste, Yuuri? I could eat you up!"

Instead, Victor captured one of his husband's soft thighs and lifted it, then he moved in close, positioning himself and teasing Yuuri even more with a very slow entry. When they were fully joined, he grabbed Yuuri's bottom and lifted him. The younger man's legs wrapped around Victor's slim waist and Yuuri held on for dear life as Victor held him so his back was against the wall, then he thrust, hard and fast until they were both at the ends of their wits. Yuuri surrendered with a howl of pleasure, smiling as he heard Victor's answering cry of release. He closed his eyes, savoring his husband's delicious heat as Victor let him gently down, onto his feet.

"That was beautiful, like you," Victor whispered into his ear, his hands rubbing soap onto Yuuri and gently bathing him, "Love you so much."

"I love you too."

Soon after their shower tryst, they packed their things headed to the ice rink Victor had arranged for them to use.

"Victor, why the emergency practice?" Yuuri asked curiously, "The competitions are done for a little while. We should at least go home for a little while, don't you think?"

Yuuri was still over the moon at the thought of living with Victor. He didn't know that Victor had other plans. Yuuri was starting to realize even more how full his hands were going to be, dealing with Victor.

"I am your coach. Do I need any other reason to make you practice? Now, get stretched out, get your skates on, and get on the ice Yuuri!" Victor said, the smile never leaving his face.

He did all the things he had told Yuuri to do beating the younger skater onto the ice with enough time to circle the rink twice before Yuuri joined him. They got to work, but after about 2 hours, they had to return to the hotel to shower again (without the added play) and get their bags so they could get to the airport to catch their flight. Victor had a surprise planned for Yuuri. He had thought about showing off and using his private jet, but the surprise he was planning would be better if they flew normally.

"Victor this can't be right. The tickets have us headed to Japan, not Russia. Are we not going home?"

Yuuri loved thinking that his home was now with Victor. He was confused by this new revelation, but he trusted Victor more than anyone else.

"You haven't seen your family since before we were married," Victor explained, "I am still sorry they couldn't be with us. I just thought it would be nice to go and see them while we have the time."

Victor smiled as they boarded the plane, and then they were on their way. Both Yuuri and Victor fell asleep, so they were well rested by the time they landed.

"Are you happy" Victor asked as they got off the plane.

He wasn't just talking about the surprise.

"Of course I am. I am with you and with your surprise."

Yuuri groaned as he spotted Minako waiting for them with a welcome home banner.

"Oh boy, how does she always know where I am before I do?" he complained.

"Well, if it isn't the newlyweds" Minako said, grinning, "You did it again, Yuuri. You became an Internet star without telling me!"

She pretended to be mad, but in reality she could not have been happier for them.

"Come on, let's get you to Yu-topia. Everyone is waiting for you. "With that she dragged them away, heading for Yuuri's childhood home.

"You don't need to drag us" Yuuri said, but he didn't fight too hard, letting her do what she wanted.

Soon they were back home.

"Hi mom. Hi dad," Yuuri said as his parents greeted the couple.

After talking with Yuuri's parents and sister for a while the couple went to Yuuri's room, which they would of course be sharing while they were there.

"I want to go to ice castle. Are you coming?" Yuuri asked.

"And here I thought we could spend some time together in the hot spring. Doesn't that sound more fun, little piggy?"

Victor was trying his hardest to seduce his husband away from the ice for at least a little while. He took Yuuri's chin in his grip with one hand, leaning in to kiss him deeply. Victor, of course, won so the two of them were soon in the hot spring, naked as the day they were born. Victor had only told a few people where he would be so they were not bothered (not that it would be hard to figure out where they were if someone really wanted to get ahold of them). One of the few Victor had told was Yakov, who always seemed to know where Victor was whether Victor wanted him to or not.

"I love you," Victor said kissing Yuuri again.

Neither of them knew what was about to happen at the front desk.

A young boy with blonde hair and huge, soft brown eyes stood in fromt of Yu-topia Katsuki, where he had been dumped. He was alone with only one goal. He looked to be about 7 or so. He had 2 big envelopes in one hand and the handle of a small rolling suitcase in the other. The boy took a silent breath as if to calm himself, then he walked through the door. He was met by Yuuri's mother, who asked if he was there with his parents. The boy released the handle of the suitcase reaching into his coat taking out a picture of Victor and Yuuri from a magazine. Holding up the picture, he pointed at Victor.

"Oh, you're looking for Vic-chan. Are you a fan of his, or maybe family?"


	2. Chapter 2: The Letter

**Chapter 2: The letter**

"Victor" Yuuri breathed as his husband kissed down his throat to his shoulder.

Victor's hands curled around Yuuri's naked bottom and he pulled him closer, sinking into his protesting mouth, attacking the warm orifice hungrily. He rubbed and squeezed Yuuri's bottom, grinding against him as the two men kissed harder, biting at each other's lips and tongues.

The two were getting very into one another when suddenly a throat cleared. Yuuri turned, expecting his father or a male patron wanting to yell at them for practically defiling the hot spring. Yuuri sank futher into the water with a yelp and a splash when he saw that it was his sister, smoking a cigarette.

"Oh my god! What do you want, Mari?" Yuuri shouted, so embarrassed and his face beet red.

"You two need to get your butts dressed and get to the lobby now," Yuuri's older sister said as she noticed Victor not moving at all to hide his body.

She knew he didn't have a bashful bone in his body, but she did think, married to her brother, she was glad to see him finally turn him away.

"No sex. Lobby. Now."

She took another drag on her cigarette, then left the two men to it.

"Come on Yuuri. Something's not right," Victor said, climbing out of the hot spring and reaching for his clothes.

After they dressed, Victer took Yuuri's hand and the two headed to the lobby of the inn. When they arrived there, Victor stopped dead in his tracks, staring at the little boy they spotted in front of them.

"Seva?" he asked, causing the boy to look at him and to run to Victor dropping the letters he was carrying onto the floor.

Victor looked around.

"Where's Antiko?" he asked the boy in Russian.

The boy said nothing, but just hugged Victor's waist desperately. He buried his face in the Russian man's waist, his little heart beating a mile a minute. Being around all these strangers he didn't understand was hard for the boy. Luckily, Yuuri's mom had asked for his name in English. He cowered around the people he did not know. It was easy to tell the boy was terrified. Victor asked again why the boy was there alone and this time, the child pointed to the two envelopes. One looked very official and had Russian writing showing it was meant for Victor Nikiforov. The other one looked more like a personal letter. Vitya was printed on the front.

Yuuri picked up the letters, bringing them over to Victor along with the boy's small suitcase.

"Maybe we should take him to our room while we figure things out," he said, looking kindly at the boy, "He looks so scared, Victor."

Yuuri was just as confused as Victor, who looked to him to be very upset. So, he knew that they needed to figure this out sooner, rather than later, if possible.

"Wait Yuuri. Can I talk to you? Victor can take the boy your room, but I need to speak to you now," Toshiya said insistently.

"Okay," Yuuri said uncertainly, nodding to Victor to take the boy and go.

After Victor and the boy had gone, Yuuri gave his father a curious look.

"What is it, Dad?" he asked, frowning.

Toshiya motioned briefly to the papers Yuuri still held in his hand.

"Those papers look like something that would come from a lawyer. I want you to be careful. I have a bad feeling that nothing good can be in them even, though the second one looks less official," he said in a worried tone.

"Don't worry Dad," Yuuri said, shaking his head, "Victor seemed to know him. But you're right that something's not okay with all of this. I promise, Victor and I will be careful."

Yuuri rushed towards his and Victor's room. He laid his hand on the door as he heard Victor speaking in Russian to the boy. Yuuri had started to learn Russian since moving to Saint Petersburg to live with Victor, but he was far from fluent, so he could not pick up everything. Slowly, he opened the door.

"Victor," he said quietly, "Does he fully understand English?"

He could feel the boy's huge eyes focused on him.

"He does, I think. Seva, do you understand when I talk like this?" Victor asked getting only a little short nod they almost missed, "Good, I am going to talk like this so that Yuuri can understand us okay? He doesn't know Russian like you or me yet."

Victor got no response this time, however, since he now knew the boy understood, he continued in English.

"I suppose I should start with the more official looking one," Victor said, opening the large, heavy envelope.

He began to read, and after a few moments, his hands began to shake.

_To Victor Mikailovich Nikiforov, regarding the custody of the child Sevastien Antonovich Lyutov:_

_It is hereby prescribed by Moscow City Court that, adherent to the wishes of the deceased Anton Osyenevich Lyutov, custody of the minor, Sevastien Antonovich Lyutov is granted to Victor Mikailovich Nikiforov._

Yuuri felt his heart break, knowing he had never seen Victor look so sad before. "Victor, what's wrong?" Yuuri asked, reaching out to touch his husband.

He was surprised, and even more confused when his husband pulled back from him.

"Victor, who is this boy?" Yuuri asked anxiously.

Victor was paler then normal, but he knew Yuuri deserved an answer, so he steadied himself, took a breath and introduced them to one another.

"Yuuri, meet Sevastien Antonovich Lyutov," he started slowly. "Seva, this is my husband Yuuri. This letter is not a happy one. it says that Seva's father, Anton has died. I am very close to Antiko, so he has left legal guardianship of Seva to me. Also, apparently Seva has not spoken a word since his father was killed."

Victor did not always word things the best way and he could come across as blunt or cold, which was not the case. He just didn't always know how to express himself in everyday life. Sure, around the media or when he was skating, he was fine. Or when he was alone with Yuuri. But the news of his friend's death was affecting him in a way he had never felt before.

"According to this, I am…" Victor couldn't continue his voice broke.

He picked up the second letter. Tears came to his eyes as he read the beautiful words.

_My dearest Vitya,_

_I know that things did not end well between us, and I take responsibility for that entirely. Let me say again that I am truly and deeply sorry for the hurt I caused you. I wish that I could tell you why I had to leave, but as you know, the circumstances were not something I could write in a letter. I am glad to have heard that, in recent years, you have gone on with your life and you have a beautiful and gentle lover who treasures you. You deserve that._

_Vitya, I swear, I never lost my love for you. I, too, went on and I married another and had a child, but I always knew in my heart that if things had been different, I would always have stayed with you. I regret that decisions I made before we met made it impossible for me to stay with you. But enough about that. Just know that you are still dear to me._

_Vitya, as you know, Seva's mother passed in childbirth, and I have no connections to my family. Should anything happen to me, Seva will be alone. But, he knows you. Seva loves you. I have told him stories of the beautiful Vitya and he has met you on occasion, though not for a long time. In any case, there is no one that I would entrust him to…no one he would trust, but you. Please, if anything happens to me, take care of Seva. He is a dear, sweet child, and…I confess, as he has grown, I have wished a million times that he was ours. He even reminds me of you with his bright smile and playful ways. I will rest easier knowing that you will be there for him. Thank you, my love._

_Forever,_

_Antiko_

"Yuuri I need to tell you something but first let's get Seva to bed."


	3. Chapter 3: The Past

**Chapter 3: The Past**

Victor found some soft, blue pajamas in Seva's suitcase and helped the boy change in a matter of minutes. He tucked Seva into the bed he shared with Yuuri and kissed him on the forehead.

"Try to get some sleep, now," he said soothingly, "Yuuri and I will be close by if you need anything."

The boy gave him a little nod and closed his eyes.

His mind numb and his brain working on auto-pilot, Victor nevertheless knew he had to focus on Seva, who needed him.

Yuuri watched his husband, who was clearly upset even more then he wanted to show.

"Victor" Yuuri said resting a hand on the older man's back as they both watched the now sleeping boy, "Let's let him sleep. He must be so tired, both mentally and physically"

Yuuri took Victor's hand, leading him into the room Victor had once stayed in, so that they could talk.

Victor's aching heart beat a mile a minute in his chest, and uncertainty nagged at him about what his husband would think with what he had to say. But Victor knew it needed to be said. Still, right at that moment, all he could do was break down, still holding the letter from his friend and former lover.

"Yuuri," he started, "first I want to read you this letter. After all, we have no secrets."

He cleared his throat softly and handed the letter to Yuuri. Victor bit his lip and held his breath hoping no bad would come of this choice. Then, he sighed softly and translated the words.

Yuuri stood quietly as Victor read, silently bearing the weight of the message, as he stood near his husband.

"So, you two were more than friends," Yuuri said, both his hands and his voice shaking just a little.

Victor had always been honest about the lovers he had had before Yuuri, but he had not thought of the possibility that some of those lovers may have been other males.. He wasn't sure why the thought had never occurred to him, but it hadn't.

"Yes," Victor confessed softly, "We were friends…and we were lovers."

Back in the room where the boy slept, Seva shifted and moaned in his sleep, in the grip of a nightmare. The poor boy was in a place he didn't know with people unfamiliar to him except, of course, Victor. The little boy suddenly woke, finding himself alone. He began to cry silently, moving to get off the bed, but then he fell, making a loud noise as he landed.

"Did you hear that" Yuuri asked, watching as Victor flung open the door and ran back into the bedroom. He was at the boy's side in seconds. Yuuri watched Victor comfort the boy and suddenly his heart felt a little twinge as he thought something he had never thought before.

_Victor and I can never have a child of both our bodies._

This boy and the beautiful letter brought out feelings Yuuri didn't know he had. Still, it warmed his heart to see Victor with the boy that was Victor's own son.

"Shh, Seva it's okay," his husband reassured the boy, "Won't you tell me what's wrong so I know how to help you?"

Victor felt it was worth a shot, even though the letter from the lawyer said the little boy had not made a sound since his father died. It had also said Seva had been found with the body so who knew what he had seen? God only knew what the boy had gone through until he had been found. Victor shared a look with his husband. This boy knew more than anyone knew about what had happened to Anton, but Victor did not dare to push him on the subject. He lifted Seva into his arms and gently rocked the boy to sleep.

Yuuri stood from where he had kneeled next to Victor and Seva.

"I'm going to talk to my parents. May I have your permission to tell them about the official letter and a little of what is going on?" he asked Victor, who smiled sadly and nodded.

"I trust them," he answered, "After all, your family is now my family. They are as much a part of this as you or me right now."

Victor lifted the boy up and laid down on the bed with Seva in his arms, not wanting to wake him.

"We will talk later" Victor promised.

He watched his husband leave and closed his eyes thinking back to the day he had met Seva's father.

"_Identification please," a tall, bulky security guard asked at the entrance to the Moscow pub that Victor and his friends were trying to enter. _

_Victor handed the man his fake ID card with a bribe held carefully underneath. The guard's expression darkened for a moment until he peeked at the money._

"_Enjoy yourselves," he told the group of teens._

_The teens laughed as they entered the club and found a table. In less than a half hour, they were all drunk and on the floor, dancing. Victor's long, silvery hair and slender body glowed among the others, his open shirt and exposed chest attracting the eyes of a dark-haired man who sat at the bar. The man looked more closely, and a little smile touched his lips._

"_Beautiful," he whispered._

_He shouldn't have been distracted from the business that had brought him to the club, but Victor's lovely face, disarming laughter and his erotically swaying body entranced the man. In the end, it was all too easy to swallow the last of his drink and head away from the bar, to the dance floor. He waited until Victor danced towards him and took hold of the young man's hand as Victor's head turned and their eyes met._

"_May I have this dance?"_

XXXXXXXXXX

Yuuri went down to the lobby of the inn, walking slowly to give himself time gather his thoughts about what he was going to say to his family.

In the lobby, Toshiya and Hiroko tried to busy themselves, so they were ready for whatever was going on. They thought they were ready for whatever Yuuri would have to say. They wanted to give their son, Victor and Seva all of the time they needed, so they kept busy.

"Yuuri, honey, what is going on?" his mother asked, rushing up to her son when she saw him enter the lobby, "You look so sad. Is Vic-chan alright? Who is that sweet little boy and why was he left here alone?" she continued, asking questions faster than her son could answer them.

"What was in those letters" asked Toshiya, whose expression betrayed his bad feelings about the entire situation.

"No Victor is not okay," Yuuri answered solemnly, "You were right Dad. Those letters held some terrible news for Victor. That boy, Seva is his name, well his father was killed and Victor is now his legal guardian. I guess Seva's father, Anton, was Victor's best friend as well as his former lover. I don't know what happened between them, and I didn't ask. Victor will tell me if he wants me to know. And before you ask, no, that doesn't bother me. Victor and I each have our own past. His is just a little fuller then mine in certain areas."

"It's all right, Yuuri," his mother said reassuringly, "We just wanted to know you and Vic-chan were all right, and we were curious about the boy. But, don't worry about more explaining. Why don't you go back and help Vic-chan. We'll be here if you need us. You know that."

"Yeah," Yuuri said gratefully, "Thanks, Mom. Thanks, Dad."

With that Yuuri returned to his room after telling his family that Seva understood English, so that they could communicate with him. When he got to the bedroom, he slipped inside. The boy was asleep but Victor was awake and waiting for him. The two went into the hallway, so they were not far, should they be needed by Seva. Yuuri looked at his husband, patiently waiting.

"What did the letter mean about why he had to leave you? Please tell me everything…if you want me to know, that is."

"Of course you should know," Victor said sadly, "I only never said anything about Anton, because you were sensitive when I tried to talk to you about my past before. Besides, it was over, and there was no reason to think anything like this would happen. But, because of Seva, it is necessary."

"Okay."

Victor took a steadying breath.

"I met Anton in a pub when I was just eighteen. He came up to me while I was dancing with friends, and he asked me to dance. I had never seen him before, but he was dressed in business clothes and he was polite, so I accepted. He was a good dancer, and we were both very drunk. We danced until we were tired, then I went back to his hotel with him. One thing led to another, and we ended up in bed together.

When I woke up the next morning, I was…surprised, to say the least. I had never been interested in a man, and I barely remembered us having sex. Anton was very sweet about the whole thing, because I was worried if it was made public that I had a gay lover, it could have bad consequences. It was okay to have such an affair privately, but we couldn't let anyone know. Anton told me that his business required the same thing, so we agreed not to tell anyone, but we kept seeing each other.

We were careful to meet under false names in different hotels, in different cities. It was all very exciting. I was young, so I didn't realize that with the way things were, there were questions I should have been asking about him and about his business. Then, a day came when my mother died, and I was beside myself and I needed him. I tried to signal him, using our code for a meeting, but he didn't answer me. I knew basically where he was, so I went looking for him. I found him in a house in a little neighborhood…with a wife."

"Victor…" Yuuri whispered.

"She was pregnant."

"I'm so sorry."

Victor sighed.

"That should have been the end of it, but Anton explained that meeting me had been a surprise. He explained to me that he had married at the request of his boss…who, it turned out, had connections with a powerful politician. Anton had a good family and reputation, so he was a good match for her. They were friends, but they didn't love each other. They were both only doing as they were told. She assured me that I could still see Anton, but that we could not ever let anyone know, because of the embarrassment to her father and the politician he represented."

"Oh my god…what did you do?"

Victor shook his head and lowered his eyes.

"I wanted to leave him, but I found I could not. I was in love with him…and I threw down my pride and just kept seeing him. It was hard for me when the baby came, but what could I do? I carried on until a year later. Anton was supposed to meet me, but he wasn't at the hotel as we planned. Instead, there was a message. It said that something had happened and he couldn't explain to me. But…it meant that we had to end things."

"Just like that?" Yuuri asked incredulously.

"I don't know why he left. He never explained, not even when we crossed paths some years later. He was remarried and widowed by then, and Seva had been born. He only said that his son and wife from before were dead and that Seva's mother passed in childbirth. He said he still loved me, but that it wasn't possible for us to see each other. I didn't want the complication either, and I had plenty of women wanting me, so I let it go and we remained friends. We got closer as friends, but there was always something broken between us since we never really dealt with why he left. Now, I wonder if this is his past coming back to haunt us. Yuuri, I wonder if any of us are really safe…or if maybe Anton's death wasn't an accident."


	4. Chapter 4: The Barrage

**Chapter 4: The Barrage**

Victor woke the next morning to find Seva wide awake and sitting silently on the bed, looking straight in front of him.

"Good morning Seva," he said looking down at the boy and smiling in greeting.

He noticed Yuuri, curled up and leaned against the side of the bed, sleeping in a kneeling position.

"Should we wake Yuuri" Victor asked Seva, who nodded a barely visible, short nod.

Victor smiled and leaned down to whisper in his deeply slumbering husband's ear.

"Good morning, my love."

Yuuri jumped awake, thinking he was late for something again. He suddenly remembered what had happened the night before. Seeing Seva he realized it had not been a dream as he had hoped, for Victor and the boy's sake.

"S-sorry. Good morning, Victor. Good morning, Seva-kun."

Seva blinked in surprise and tugged on Victor's arm, looking up at him questioningly.

Victor's smile warmed and he nodded in understanding.

"In Japan, sometimes an ending is put on your name. Yuuri's parents call me Vic-chan. Yuuri is sometimes called Yuuri-kun by his longtime friends. In your case, it acknowledges you are a young boy. It is affectionate."

Seva gave Yuuri the tentative beginnings of a smile.

"You like it when I call you that?" Yuuri asked, looking relieved, "I don't have to…"

Seva shook his head firmly and smiled that tiny smile again.

"I think he prefers you call him your way," Victor said decidedly.

"Thank you, Seva-kun," Yuuri said, blushing slightly, "I'm glad you like it."

Yuuri looked at the clock and made a worried exclamation.

"I should go start my morning practice," he said figuring he would be alone this morning through his exercise and morning run, "You two will probably want some time together."

Victor's head tilted slightly.

"What do you say Seva? Would you like to help me with Yuuri's training this morning?" Victor asked.

He was actually surprised when Sevan gave another single nod.

"Okay, well, let's get dressed and then we will show you what we do in the mornings."

Victor went through the boy's meager possessions and found suitable clothes for their day.

"Hey, I can't believe you still have this!" Victor exclaimed, pulling out a stuffed poodle that looked like it had been well loved.

Victor smiled when Seva reached for the toy and he handed it to the boy with a grin.

"Let me guess" Yuuri said, matching Victor's smile with his own, "you gave that to him."

"I did give that to him. How did you guess?" Victor joked.

"Is it your favorite, Seva?" he asked.

He got a smile and a nod from Seva in answer to his questions.

"Well, do you want to leave him here, so he doesn't get lost?"

Yuuri was kneeling so he was at the boy's level. He got another nod as the boy put the toy on the now made bed. Yuuri felt his heart ache for the silent little boy, but was unsure what more he could do at that point.

"I will let you guys get ready and I'll meet you downstairs for breakfast"

Yuuri took his clothes to the bathroom to get dressed.

Victor helped the boy get dressed for the day, then he paused and thought for a moment.

"Okay, my little one. I am going into another room to get dressed. I will be right back" Victor said, unsure if it was okay to dress in front of the boy or not. Soon he back, dressed in his workout cloths.

"You ready?" he asked holding out his hand.

His smile grew bigger as the boy took the offered hand.

Unsure what Victor's little boy would eat, Yuuri helped his mother set out a simple breakfast for Seva. He was sure this would be different for the boy, but he hoped it would be ok for everyone involved.

"Mom stop fussing it will be fine" Yuuri said.

Minako sat nearby, having been told the basics of what was going on, although Yuuri had not gone too into much detail.

Soon, Victor and Seva arrived, and stood, hand in hand near the breakfast table.

"I am sure it will be fine, thank you" Victor said when Yuuri's mother explained she had no idea what to do for breakfast for the little boy, and how sorry she was for both of them.

"Are you hungry, Seva?" Victor asked, getting a nod from the boy in response.

The little family of three sat down to eat breakfast. After they were done, Victor stood and motioned for Seva to join him.

"That was delicious, thank you," he said gratefully to Hiroko, "It's time to get started with our day."

Yuuri joined Victor and Seva, and the three of them made their way to the doors of the inn. The minute they stepped outside, they found themselves being ambushed by a sea of curious reporters. At first, Yuuri and Victor looked confused at the disruption, but then a familiar voice broke through the crowd.

"Victor, is it true you've become the guardian of a child? So soon after your marriage to Yuuri Katsuki? Is it an adoption?" Hisashi Morooka asked, making his way to the front of the crowd, "Word is spreading that a boy arrived here, and that you are his legal guardian, but no other details have been made available. Do you have any comment?"

He seemed to not know details. None of the reporters really seemed to know the details of what was going on. Some even shouted questions about Yuuri and Victor being married. Others shouted about the child.

Victor smiled, holding up his hand to signal for everyone to be quiet so he could answer them.

"Yes," he said calmly, "as you all should know, Yuuri and I are married. It has been all over the news. As for the child, I will not go into detail at this time. I will only say that he is the son of my best friend, who recently passed away unexpectedly. I have been left custody of the child, so I am now a father. Yuuri and I both are this boy's fathers," he beamed holding Yuuri's hand as he felt Seva cowering behind him.

Victor felt Seva's head burrowing into his back and reached around to place a calming hand on him. Victor and Yuuri took a few steps back so the boy was pushed back inside the inn.

"Well, that was annoying," Victor said, though he was all smiles, "How do we get to Ice Castle now?" he asked Yuuri.

"I'm not sure" Yuuri said, shaking his head, "there isn't really a back way out of the inn." Normally, they would just push through, answering questions until they escaped the crowd, but they suspected they couldn't do that with Seva.

"Should we leave Seva with Minako or my parents, so we can try to go get rid of them? At least they haven't come inside," Yuuri said, noticing that Seva had a death grip around Victor's waist and his face was still buried in the Russian man's back. The child looked absolutely terrified.

"Seva, can you stay here with Minako or Yuuri's parents while we go talk to the people outside?" Victor asked, but the boy just gripped him tighter.

Victor pried the little boy's grip loose, kneeling down, only to have the death grip move to being around his neck.

"This seems more like it might be separation anxiety than fear," Yuuri suggested, "Seva just lost his father, Victor. Maybe, he is afraid that if you leave him, something will happen to you too. You can understand how he feels, right?"

Surprise and realization erupted on Victor's face and he gave his husband a look of deep gratitude as he looked into Seva's frightened eyes.

"Seva, you don't need to worry. I'm not going to leave you. Yuuri, sorry about this, but can you and Toshiya try to get rid of them?"

"Of course," Yuuri answered.

Victor waited until they were alone, then turned his attention back to the boy.

"Seva," he said softly, taking one of the boy's hands from around his neck and holding it gently, "I know that you have been through something terrible. I can imagine you are so scared because Anton is not with us anymore. We cannot bring him back, even though we both wish he was here. I want to tell you that I miss Anton too. I am…so very sad that my friend has died. But, it comforts me to have you here. I promise you, I will take care of you and I will not leave you. I know it's hard for you to trust that, but you will feel more comfortable and you will trust me more to come back as time goes on."

Victor looked up as Yuuri returned to the room.

"Well, the coast seems to be clear now," he said in a relieved tone, "We just made sure they understood that we are still dealing with everything and we need time and privacy to gather ourselves. I don't think they'll bother us now."

"Good, then we should be going," Victor said, standing and taking his son's hand.

"Actually," Yuuri said, stopping him, "Morooka stayed for a few minutes after everyone else left and he apologized for bothering us."

"As well he, and the others should," Victor sighed.

"He also commented that somehow the press knew that Seva wasn't talking."

"They knew?" Victor repeated, looking mystified, "But…the only ones who would know about that are the police that investigated Anton's death and maybe the people who were involved in Seva's custody exchange. None of them should have been talking."

Victor considered briefly, then let out a frustrated sigh.

"Of course, if there was an unscrupulous newsperson and he or she managed to pay off the right people, I suppose the information would be easy to get. I'm not happy about that getting out, but it won't change anything if people know."

"Morooka also gave me the name of a child psychologist who specializes in getting traumatized children to communicate through play."

"Through play?" Victor repeated thoughtfully, "You mean, they give the kid toys and watch them or something?"

"Something like that," Yuuri affirmed, "but he said that it was something that's been really helpful to kids like Seva. I mean, we don't have to use the reference he gave us. I'm sure that we can find someone that you and I can trust…"

Victor frowned and tilted his head.

"Doesn't Minako know a child psychologist?" he asked, "I think she said she dated one awhile back?"

"Right," Yuuri agreed, "His name is Asahi. I can talk to Minako and get his information. We can at least talk to him and see if he thinks that kind of therapy would be helpful. I just can't think of another way to understand what's going on in Seva's mind, and what he might be struggling with. I want to help him, Victor."

Victor gave Yuuri a look of gratitude and embraced him.

"I know you want to help him, and I appreciate that so much, Yuuri. More than you know. I was worried when Seva first arrived that it would hurt you to learn about Anton and me. I don't like to talk about the past, but he came here, and there it was, staring us in the face. You can't begin to know what it means to me, and to that little boy that you care so much for him."

"Of course I care for him," Yuuri said sadly, "Victor, as much as you and I love each other, I can never give you what Anton has…a child."

"Yuuri," Victor said, giving his husband a stricken look, "you know that…"

"I know," Yuuri assured him, reaching down to take Seva's small hand in his, "You overlook the fact, because you love me. I love you too, Victor, and…when Anton left this child in your care, I admit, I was afraid. But…I don't feel so afraid now. Things are different than how we planned, but now Seva has come to us, and he needs us. Now, we can be the parents we wished we could be for this little boy. It doesn't matter that he was born to someone else. He depends on us now, and we will be there for him."

Yuuri made a sound of surprise and stared as Seva jumped into his arms and hugged him as tightly as he had been holding on to Victor. Victor smiled with both warmth and sadness.

"I think that you made a good impression on our boy," the Russian said quietly, "Seva trusts you. I think he has very good instincts."

Yuuri looked deeply into Seva's sad eyes and squeezed his hand.

"So, you trust me?" he asked softly.

The boy gave a tiny little nod.

"Then, will you go with Victor and me to see someone who might be able to help you talk to us?"

Seva nodded again.

"Good," Victor said, kneeling beside Yuuri, "There is a lot we have to say."

He paused and looked at his watch.

"Ah, but we should really go and practice with Yuuri first. Come."

Yuuri's smile warmed encouragingly as the boy hesitated.

"It's okay now," he assured Seva, "The reporters have gone. No one will bother us. And hey, when we get to the ice rink, there are some children there who are the daughters of the owners. I'm sure you'll like them. They're very friendly."

"They are," Victor agreed, "And I'll tell you a secret."

Seva looked up at him, wide-eyed and curius.

"They helped Yuuri and me to get together," Victor explained.

_How?_ Seva's eyes asked.

"You see," Victor went on, "Yuuri was very depressed one day, because he had skated in the Grand Prix Finals with me, but he got nervous and he made mistakes and fell a lot, so he came in last in the competition. But…Yuuri was a great skater, and when he was alone, he would copy my free skate program, and he never fell while he was doing it, because he wasn't nervous at all. Well, one day, as Yuuri was skating my free skate so perfectly, the girls shot a video of him, and they posted it online, and the video went viral!"

Seva's hands clasped together and his eyes rounded.

"I saw the video of Yuuri's beautiful copy of my program, and it melted my heart. I raced all of the way here, to Hasetsu, to find Yuuri and to be his coach. So…we owe those three girls a lot!"

"We do," Yuuri laughed, "They did us a big favor, even though they were doing something they kind of got in trouble for with their mom."

"It just goes to show, you never know what will happen next," Victor said, taking his son's hands, "And even when things are sad or scary, some good things can happen too. You must always try to stay positive and try your hardest. Bad things will happen sometimes and you have to be strong through it, but remember that things will always get better again. It will be okay."

Seva looked up at Victor and Yuuri and nodded in agreement. He held Victor's hand on one side and Yuuri's on the other as the three left the hot spring inn and walked to Ice Castle Hasetsu. Seva's eyes grew large again as they reached the rink and walked inside. Victor noticed the boy's rapt expression and squeezed his hand.

"It's like walking into a new world, isn't it?" he sighed.

Seva nodded enthusiastically. He watched closely as Yuuri put on his skates and started to skate.

"I usually skate with Yuuri," Victor explained, "but I'll stay with you for now."

Seva acted as though he had barely heard, He stood near the entrance to the ice, watching as Yuuri carefully warmed up, then began to practice his program. Victor noticed that the boy looked a little like he might be shivering.

_But no…_he noticed, _that's not him shivering from cold. Seva likes this!_

"You like to watch Yuuri skate?" Victor asked.

Seva nodded and Victor felt his heart begin to pound.

"Seva, do you want to try it too?"

Victor's heart throbbed almost painfully as the boy clasped his hands and nodded even more emphatically.

_He wants to skate._

_Our Seva wants to skate!_


	5. Chapter 5: The Ice

**Chapter 5: The Ice**

Victor could have jumped for joy at the idea of Seva skating, but he tried to rein his enthusiasm in a little bit, not wanting to scare the boy away from something Victor felt would make his new son very happy. He noticed Seva was transfixed by Yuuri's movements. The little boy even copied some of those movements.

"So cute!" Victor gushed, clasping his hands together, "Come, my little one, let's see if we can't find some skates. For now, we will have to use some rink skates, but if you like skating, Yuuri and I will have some ordered or even made just for you."

Victor was elated over the prospect of Seva skating. Anton had tried but he had not been very graceful. He was a great dancer, but on the ice, he was like a newborn deer. The memory brought a laugh welling up in Victor's throat.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm not laughing at you, my little one, just at a memory," he said, taking Seva's hand walking to where Yuko and Takeshi Nishigori stood near the skate counter, "Seva, these are Yuuri's friends. The woman is Yuko and the man is Takeshi. They are the parents of the girls I told you about."

Victor noticed Seva shy away from Takeshi a little and he wondered, briefly, why that was. "Seva understands English so you can talk to him in English," Victor said, smiling down at the boy.

"Oh, he's so cute!" Yuko cried, bending down to meet the boys eyes, hands on her knees, "Hello Seva. Are you here visiting?"

But, the look on Victor's face told her something was wrong.

"Victor what is it?" she asked before her husband could stop her.

She reached out to pat the little boys head but was confused when he hid behind Victor's legs. "I'm sorry did I frighten him?" she asked, looking at the boy sadly.

"No, no, you did nothing wrong," Victor assured her, "Seva is the son of my best friend, who has been killed. I was left custody of the boy, so he is our son now. Isn't that right, Seva?"

Victor noticed the little boy had wondered back to the ice like it was calling him. He watched the boy with soft eyes.

"Seva doesn't talk, but he wants to skate with Yuuri, so can we use some skates?" Victor asked, retrieving his son and guiding him over to the benches, then taking his shoes off so he could tell Yuko what size they needed.

When the skates were secure, Victor put on his own golden bladed pair. He noticed Seva was staring at his blades.

"Do you like the gold blades?" he asked, "You know, it was Anton's idea to make my blades gold. I can still hear him telling me it would mean I would always have my gold, even if I didn't win."

Victor shook away the sadness in his eyes before Seva noticed. He was all smiles as he stood helping Seva stand in front of him.

"Now don't rush yourself. Take it slow out there. You might fall down at first, maybe a lot of times, but you can't let that get to you. It took Yuuri and me a long time to get to the level we are on now."

Victor smiled, taking Seva's hand as they stepped on the ice.

"Yuuri!" he called to get his husbands attention, "Look who wanted to come and see you."

Victor kept still for a moment, just holding Seva's hand. The little boy moved his feet cautiously, but if it weren't for Victor having hold of his hand, he would have fallen. He steadied himself and let go of Victor's hand. His goal was to get to Yuuri, who was nice. Seva wanted more than to just skate. He wanted to skate with Yuuri. After a few false starts, he slid over to Yuuri and grabbed his hand. The unexpected weight on one side knocked Yuuri off kilter and both of them ended up on the ice. Seva closed his eyes, wincing, thinking Yuuri would be mad. He was confused when the Japanese man laughed.

"Well I guess the ice wanted to say hi," he snickered, helping Seva to his feet. "Should we try to skate a lap together?" Yuuri asked, getting a nod from the boy who seemed to understand Yuuri was not mad at all. "Victor you stand in the middle and watch, after all, we need our coach to tell us how we did, right Seva?"

The little boy nodded as he slid over closer to the wall and waited for Yuuri.

As Victor watched Yuuri with their son, he felt his heart swell with pride and warmth.

_Watching the two of them together is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen_.

They circled the rink twice, and the boy seemed to be picking up the basics fairly quickly. Victor had honestly thought Seva would have Anton's grace, or the lack thereof on the ice, but he seemed to be very much at ease.

_A natural_.

Victor smiled as Seva copied one of the arm movements he had seen Yuuri do. It made Victor's heart melt. The ice seemed to make Seva happy, but being on the ice with Yuuri seemed to make him even happier. A little movement nearby caught his eye and he turned his head to look.

"What are you three up to?" Victor said, skating over to the edge of the rink where he saw Axel, Luta, and Loop filming.

"What does it look like? We are making our next viral video. People will eat this up, Yuuri and a skating legend like you, taking time out from your busy schedules to help a little boy skate!" the girls said, dashing off.

Victor was torn between not wanting to share the tender moments between the two of them and wanting to upload the video himself to show off his little family.

"Don't worry, Victor. The girls won't be posting anything" Takeshi said, taking the phone from his daughters.

"No, let them," Victor decided, "I want everyone to see how good a father Yuuri is, and to see my little one for his talent."

Victor returned to the ice, wondering if he was doing the right thing. It nagged at him for awhile after that, but soon he found himself distracted away from thinking about it, his heart ready to burst watching his little family go around and around the rink together.

Yuuri smiled down at Seva. He thought it was very cute when the boy copied him.

"Would you like to stand with Victor and watch me do some jumps, or do you want to go around again?"

Yuuri grinned as Seva's hand tightened on his.

"Okay," he laughed, "we'll go around again."

Victor joined the two, holding one of Seva's hands as Yuuri held the other. The three went around once more, then Victor gently turned the boy so that he was skating backwards and holding on to Yuuri's hands.

"Move your feet like this and spread your arms to balance yourself as you skate that way," Victor directed him as Yuuri let go of him, but continued to skate in front of him in case he should start to fall. Seva seemed unsteady at first, and he wobbled a little before settling and copying as Victor modeled the technique. The three skated backwards around the rink a few times, then Victor guided his son to the edge of the rink and Yuuri built up speed, preparing to practice his jumps.

"You won't be doing this today," Victor chuckled, but if you want, Yuuri and I will teach you to do jumps like we do."

Seva's eyes watched raptly as Yuuri executed a three turn, then performed a beautiful quadruple flip.

"That's a quad flip," Victor said proudly, "Yuuri learned it from me. It's my signature move. It's the one that I'm best known for. Someday, if you decide to compete, we'll figure out what your signature move is."

Seva blinked, then he grabbed Victor's arm and pointed at Yuuri. Victor thought for a moment, then guessed at his meaning.

"You want to know what Yuuri's signature move is?" he asked the boy.

Seva nodded emphatically.

"Ah," Victor said, glancing at his husband, "Yuuri is best known for his lovely step sequences and his combination spins. He always gets high presentation scores because of those elements."

Victor watched in amusement as Seva watched Yuuri jump into a difficult spin combination and he tried a little spin of his own, but fell.

"Easy there," Victor chided him playfully, helping the boy to his feet, "You've already learned a lot for your first day."

Seva looked up at Victor with wide, happy eyes.

"Don't you worry," Victor said, patting his face and tousling the boy's hair, "We'll teach you everything that we know."

Seva remained at Victor's side as Yuuri continued to work on his jumps and spins, his eyes watching closely. Behind the two, Takeshi exited the office, carrying several boxes. As he passed through the office door, one of the boxes caught on the door frame and all of them crashed to the ground, making a loud, rattling bang. At the edge of the ice, Seva startled and crashed into Victor's side, knocking his surprise father down as Takeshi swore, then spotted the two and hastily apologized.

"Eh, sorry, I'm such a klutz. Didn't mean to scare you, kid. You okay?"

Seva stiffened, his eyes on Takeshi's face and his expression one of shock and horror as he remembered.

"_What are you doing?" his father cried, "I told you. I'll get the money for him! I just don't want Victor or Yuuri involved. I don't want them hurt. I'll find another way to…!"_

_Seva cringed and covered his ear as a sharp, echoing bang sounded, and his father made a sound of pain and slumped to the floor. He wanted to scream and run to Anton, but was frozen with fear as the dark-haired man who had shot him moved closer and shot him again. The man turned, and Seva shrank back behind the potted plant he'd hidden behind, but the man's angry scowl, thick black hair and dark eyes imprinted on his mind._

"_Don't worry about it," the man growled as he left, "It's not your concern what we do now."_

"Seva?" Victor's voice called, breaking the boy out of his reverie.

The boy dove into Victor's arm, burying his face in his surprised father's shoulder.

"Wow, sorry," Takeshi apologized again, "I didn't mean to."

"It's okay," Victor assured him, "I think Seva was just startled."

He stroked his son's hair as Yuuri came to the edge of the ice to join them.

"Good going, Dad!" Axel scolded her father.

"What the heck is going on?" Yuko asked, stepping out of the office.

"Dad dropped some things and scared Seva almost to death!" Lutz tattled.

"Seva is fine," Victor said bracingly, hugging his son to his shoulder and kissing him on the top of the head, "He'll be fine, right Seva?"

"You're all right, Seva-chan," Yuuri said, kneeling with Victor and rubbing the boy's back as he shivered, then peeked out at the others.

His eyes found Takeshi again, and he shuddered. Victor noticed and frowned curiously. As soon as Takeshi walked back into the office, the boy calmed again, and he detached himself from Victor, rubbing his teary eyes.

"See, Seva-chan, it's okay now," Yuuri said kindly.

"We're sorry our dumb dad almost scared you outta your wits," the triplets apologized.

"Hey, Seva," Loop said, tilting her head and smiling, "Wanna skate with us for a little while? Dad and Mom say we have to practice."

"Oh, I don't know," Victor said, glancing uncertainly at the boy.

But Seva took a breath and stood up, then he gave Victor and Yuuri a questioning look.

Yuuri smiled warmly.

"Go ahead, if you like. The girls can help you practice if you want."

"Just don't break him," Victor joked, "We want him back in one piece."

Victor and Yuuri watched with loving eyes as their son skated away with the girls laughing and helping him along.

"He's making friends," Victor said in a touched voice, "He can't even talk to us, but he's making friends, Yuuri!"

"It's great, isn't it?" Yuuri agreed.

"I was worried for a moment, because you know those three can be troublesome, but they are kind, like Yuko," Victor said appreciatively, "They're being so good with him."

Yuuri moved closer and helped Victor back to his feet.

"Did you see how he was looking at Takeshi, though?" Yuuri asked.

"Yeah, I noticed that," Victor acknowledged, "What do you make of it?"

"Hmm," Yuuri said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, "I'm not sure, but we'll watch over him. I made an appointment with the child psychologist, like you asked, so we can go over on Friday for a first meeting. We'll go with Seva for that, and then he'll go alone some of the time after that and with us sometimes."

"I hope it helps to get him talking," Victor sighed, watching as the four children skated around the rink together with the three girls talking and laughing and Seva smiling, albeit shyly.

"We'll get him talking," Yuuri said determinedly, "We just need to take it a step at a time."

Victor gave his husband a look of deep affection and hugged a surprised Yuuri tightly, kissing him on the cheek, then on the mouth.

"Mmm, hey, what's that about?" Yuuri laughed.

"You're so good with Seva, Yuuri," Victor gushed happily, "You make our boy so happy! And you inspire him to want to skate!"

Yuuri blushed.

"I really didn't do anything."

"That's right. You're such a good father, you don't have to try. I love you for that!"

"I love you too," Yuuri giggled, "Sometimes you're so funny, Victor."

XXXXXXXXXX

Back in Saint Petersburg, a telephone rang and a man's hand reached out and picked it up.

"What is it?" he asked in a low, deep rumbling voice.

"It's the boy," said another male voice on the other end of the line, "There was a news report here in Japan that said he was found with the body."

"What? That wasn't released in the news reports here."

"I don't know why, Boss, but if he was with the body, he either came in after I shot Anton…"

"Or he witness the execution," the man with the deeper voice concluded, "This complicates things…or…maybe it means that we can proceed with our plans."

"Boss?"

"We were going to abduct Yuuri Katsuki and hold him for ransom. Now, it seems we have two hostages, so Victor will be willing to give more to get them back."

"But, if the boy saw…"

"Then…there will be an _accident_ when we make the exchange. For now, I want you to watch them. Stay close to them and find out what that boy knows, and if he tells them anything. If you see any sign that he is telling them anything, you know what to do."

"Yes, Boss, I know what to do."


	6. Chapter 6: The Word

Chapter 6: The Word

A few days later Yuuri lay in bed with Victor.

"It was a good night for Seva," said Victor, kissing Yuuri on the cheek.

"Yeah," Yuuri agreed, keeping his eyes closed, "he only woke up from a nightmare once."

"He was shaking like a leaf," Victor recalled, "but you were so good, rocking him to sleep like you did. You're so good with him. I think you're helping him."

"I'm doing my best."

Victor sighed, holding Yuuri's body close in his arms so that the two were pressed against each other. Victor kissed his husband's neck letting his hands slide over Yuuri's body gently. He was so lost in his husband, he didn't realize something was missing from their bed until he heard Yuuri moan for him to stop. Victor released his husband and gave him a questioning look.

"Sorry, Yuuri, is something wrong?" he asked, feeling slightly guilty at leaving his husband so flustered.

"Seva," Yuuri reminded him.

Victor's breath caught and he looked around anxiously.

"Oh my god, you're right! Where is he?"

It was not that he had forgotten about Seva, but it had only been a few days and he was still used to waking Yuuri up with sex or some other intimacy. Victor looked around wildly not seeing the boy. He rolled out of bed, wearing loose, thin sweats that hung low on his body since he could not sleep naked with Seva sleeping in the bed with them. They had gotten a bigger bed to accommodate all of them the bed took up most of Yuuri's room.

"Where's Seva?" Victor asked again in a slightly panicked tone.

"I don't know. I don't know when he left!" Yuuri exclaimed.

"Come on! We need to find him!" Victor said urgently.

Suddenly, they heard running footsteps in the hall, followed by excited barks. Yuuri and Victor opened the door, only to have Seva tumble head over heels into the room. Makkachin licked all over Seva's face, making the boy smile widely and pat him. Seva threw the ball he held down the hall, chasing after the dog and continuing to smile his shy smile. Soon, the poodle had Seva pinned on the floor and was standing over the little boy, who hugged his neck as Makkachin licked his face again. The boy was all smiles, not even trying to push the dog off him.

Yuuri came up behind Victor, hugging his husband happily at seeing Seva so content and playing.

"Should we let Makkachin lick him like that and jump on him?" Yuuri asked, "Not that we could stop him if we tried, since you have spoiled your dog."

_I remember when Victor first arrived in Hasetsu_, Yuuri recalled_, Makkachin jumped on me and knocked me down, and licked my face, just like that._

Yuuri observed as Victor watched Seva with soft eyes. It was heartwarming to see the boy with the dog. But it was even more so to watch his husband looking at them with such happy eyes.

"We should go eat breakfast," Yuuri suggested, "then we can figure out what to do until the appointment this afternoon." Yuuri said, taking Seva by the hand, "We will meet you downstairs, Victor," he said, leading Seva down to the dining room.

Victor was left alone with his thoughts.

_Yuuri is so good with Seva…so kind to him! I've never loved anyone like I love Yuuri. Still, I did love Antiko. Our love may have changed over the years, but it still lives on. Antiko is still very important to me._

Victor let out a sigh as he let his mind drift to the past.

_Victor felt a pair of warm hands cover his eyes and he grinned and leaned back against the perpetrator._

"_Guess who?"_

"_Well, I'm sure it isn't Yakov," Victor laughed._

"_No, it isn't."_

_Victor turned and hugged Antiko tightly, kissing him on the cheek._

"_What are you doing here? How did you know I was in this store, even?"_

"_I have my ways," his friend said cryptically, "I had to come. I wanted to ask how your honeymoon was."_

"_Our honeymoon?" Victor repeated, "It was great. We did a European tour that was fantastic! You wouldn't believe the dancing and the amazing food! We barely slept the whole time, we were having so much fun!"_

"_That's good," Antiko said, squeezing his old flame's hand, "I'm glad that you and Yuuri are so happy. You really do deserve to be, you know."_

"_And what about you? Are you doing well? How is Seva?"_

"_Oh, Seva? He is doing fine. He wants to come to one of your performances, so don't be surprised if we show up unexpectedly."_

"_I'd love to see you there," Victor laughed, "Come any time."_

"_We will."_

Victor sighed and tears came to his eyes and began to overflow.

_That was the last time I saw him. He never came to see me after that._

He let the tears fall for awhile, trying to remember the sound of his friend's voice, the sound of his laughter.

"Antiko, what happened?" he whispered, "Why would someone hurt you?"

After a while, Victor wiped tears from his eyes and dressed for the day. He needed to be casual, so he dressed in a way that wasn't too showy, but was more for comfort and moving easily. He made his way downstairs to sit with his little family. He watched the boy politely eating and felt a small nagging at himself.

_Seva seems to like the food that Toshiya made, but I wish that he could tell us what are his favorite things. I know he can't do that right now, but if we work with him, if we help him, I hope he will soon._

"So, my little one, once we are done eating, we will go for a walk before we go see Minako's friend who wants to try to help you. Does that sound ok?" Victor asked as their family ate breakfast.

Seva kept eating, but he gave his father a little nod.

Yuuri studied his husband with affectionate eyes. He thought the way Victor called Seva his little one was very cute. Over the last few days Seva had gotten pretty good at the basics of skating. Victor had ordered some special made skates for the boy. Seva had also started ballet with Minako, who still helped Yuuri train. Even Victor danced with them. Seva would often stare at this fathers' movements, enthralled.

After a long walk the little family of three was at the office of the therapist the boy would be talking to. Seva slowed his steps and held tightly to Yuuri and Victor's hands as they entered the office building and stopped at the front desk.

"We're here to see Doctor Watari," Yuuri informed the desk clerk.

The young woman looked at the list of appointments and smiled.

"Nikiforov?" she asked.

"Yes," Victor affirmed.

Have a seat for just a moment. Doctor Watari will be right with you."

Victor and Yuuri led Seva to a row of seats and sat down with the boy in between them. Noticing the unhappy look on the boy's face, Yuuri squeezed Seva's hand encouragingly.

"Don't worry about a thing," he said in a soothing voice, "This isn't like a regular doctor. Doctor Watari helps people when they have problems that make them feel bad inside. He'll just ask some questions, then he's going to let you play with toys in his office. How does that sound?"

Seva managed a little smile, but he stuck close to Yuuri's side as the three were called into the doctor's office and Doctor Watari, an elderly man with white hair and kind violet eyes greeted them.

"Hello, Victor, Yuuri…and is this your Seva?" he asked, smiling at the boy and kneeling in front of him, "I am Doctor Watari. I'm pleased to meet you."

Seva managed a shy smile and a nod. He remained quiet as the doctor asked a number of questions and recorded the answers on a notepad computer. When he was done with the introductory questions, he led Seva to an area of the room where some toys had been laid out.

"Seva," he said gently, "your parents are going to leave the room for just a little while, but you and I are going to stay here and I'll let you play with any of those toys you want to, okay?"

Seva gave the doctor a terrified look and ran to Yuuri and Victor, then he grabbed onto Victor's arm, shivering and whimpering.

"Oh, I see," the doctor said, smiling kindly at him, "you don't feel comfortable with that yet. Well, that's all right. For today, why don't we have Victor and Yuuri sit at my desk to have some tea and you and I will be on this side of the room. Is that better?"

Seva shivered, but he gave the doctor a little nod and let go of his fathers. He walked in slow steps to the toys while Doctor Watari spoke briefly to Victor and Yuuri.

"I am going to have you stay in the room as Seva and I get to know each other, but even when I begin to meet individually with him, you will be able to sit in a room that looks into this one. We will talk after each session to discuss strategies for trying to support Seva as he recovers from the loss of his father."

"Doctor Watari," Yuuri said, frowning, "I don't know if it's related to Seva's situation or not, but he seems to have a problem with dark-haired men."

The doctor's head tilted and he looked at Yuuri curiously.

"And how does this manifest? What do you see that tells you this?" he asked.

"Well, we introduced him to my friend's husband, who has dark hair. Seva got quiet and he backed away from him. He's done this other times, with other dark-haired men."

"But, he doesn't have this reaction to you, Yuuri?" the doctor inquired.

"No," Yuuri answered.

"But, Yuuri went to a lot of effort right away to make Seva feel comfortable with him. They are already close."

"Ah, I see."

"And," Victor added, "we aren't sure from what we know about Seva's father's death, if maybe Seva saw something, maybe the person who did it. We know that he was found with his father's body."

"The poor child," Doctor Watari said sympathetically, "I will do my best to make him comfortable and to encourage him to reveal what he might have seen."

The three heard Seva whimper and they looked over to find that he had selected two dark-haired male dolls from the group of dolls, and had them standing beside a blonde male doll that laid, face down on the floor. The boy had hidden a small child doll behind several toy plants. Looking down at the hidden boy doll, he covered his mouth, whimpering almost inaudibly under his hand. He shut his eyes tightly and shivered.

Yuuri and Victor's faces went pale as they watched Seva cower and start to cry silently.

"He did see something, didn't he?" Yuuri whispered, "No wonder he won't talk to us. He's been carrying that horrible memory all by himself."

Yuuri and Victor stood and moved to join the now sobbing boy. They knelt in front of him and both held him comfortingly.

"It's going to be all right, my little one," Victor said, kissing the boy on top of the head and hugging him.

"We understand," Yuuri told him, "We'll keep you safe. Victor and I promise we will."

Seva nodded and clenched at them as he slowly calmed. Doctor Watari sat down on a low chair, facing them, and he gently took Seva's hand in his. Seva looked back at him through still scared eyes.

"I know it's scary," the doctor acknowledged, "I know you are afraid of what you showed us. It's important for you do know that you are safe now, Seva. Victor, Yuuri and I are all going to help keep you safe. Will you trust us?"

Seva took a shuddering breath and nodded, then he sagged in Victor's arms until Victor simply lifted him to carry him home. He carried the boy outside as Doctor Watari offered Yuuri a last bit of advice.

"Yuuri, you and Victor need to inform the Russian police what Seva showed us, but you need to keep it quiet. If the boy saw the killers, then he is going to be in danger. You will have to keep him safe."

"We will," Yuuri promised. "We're not going to let anything else happen to him."

"Very well. Here is a card for Seva's next appointment. Please let me know how the conversation with the police goes. It could affect his treatment needs as this moves forward."

"Thank you, Doctor Watari," Yuuri said gratefully, "I'll make sure that Victor knows."

Hours later after they had gotten back home Victor left Seva with Yuuri to go call Yakov who he knew would be able to offer some advice, and would also probably be mad they had not been in contact with him since Seva had become a part of their lives.

"Vitya, is that you?" Yakov growled, "Why the hell haven't you kept in touch. You know that you should be training."

"It's complicated," Victor explained, "Yakov, you remember Antiko?"

"Antiko?" Yakov repeated, "Of course I remember him. I heard on the news about him dying."

"That's right," Victor said sadly, "He has died, and when he died, he left custody of his boy, Seva to me."

"What?" Yakov shouted.

"I know, right?" Victor mused, "That's why I haven't called. Yuuri and I have been helping Seva settle in here, and we have been working to get him some treatment, because when he arrived, he was so traumatized by his father's death, that he can't talk to us. We went to a child psychologist today, and it looks like Seva may have seen someone hurt or kill Antiko!"

"You called the police, didn't you?" Yakov asked.

"I am going to, but I thought that I would call you first, because…well, Yakov, I don't know, but I think Antiko might have been involved with dangerous people. And if he was, then it might have something to do with his death. The problem is, the people who are involved could have some friends in the police department or something. You know sometimes criminal groups do."

"Yes, you're right about that," the old coach agreed, "Fine, call the police, but be careful. You want then to be alerted, but you don't want to bring trouble for your family, Vitya. Be very careful. You will hear from me soon."

"Thank you, Yakov."

XXXXXXXXXX

Yuuri sat on the edge of the bed watching a tired Seva sleep. Suddenly, the boy started to cry in his sleep. The sobs turned to whimpers and the whimpers turned to wordless screams, just high pitched squealing noises. His eyes flew open and he tackled Yuuri who barely caught the boy in time.

Victor walked into the room still on his phone with Yakov. But the phone fell out of his hand at what happened next. He watched Seva cling to Yuuri that was when he heard it and dropped his phone.

Seva hugged Yuuri tight opened his mouth and whispered a single word.

"Daddy."


	7. Chapter 7: The Car

**Chapter 7: The Car**

Victor was stunned he ignored his dropped phone and knelt down next to Yuuri.

"What did you just say" Victor asked, his eyes wide.

Placing one hand on Seva's back, he set the other one on Yuuri's shoulder. He was sure he could not have heard what he thought he had. Sharing a look with his husband, he finally calmed down enough to function.

"Seva," Victor said questioningly.

He had a ton of questions, but a look from Yuuri had him silently dealing with the rush of thoughts going through his mind.

"Try not to push him too much, Victor," Yuuri said, once he could regain his own composure, "I know you mean well, but he's been through a lot."

"Right," Victor agreed, "I was just very surprised to hear him call you that."

"M-me too," Yuuri replied, giving Victor a gentle smile.

As soon as Seva's death grip relaxed Yuuri gently moved the boy back so he could look at him.

"You calling me Daddy makes me very happy and I want, no, I need to know if that is really what you want to call me. If it is, then I will happily accept the title."

Yuuri smiled as Seva hugged him. He looked up at Victor who had stood up mouthing the only word that came to his mind and that was "_Wow_!"

Seva wiped his tears away with the sleeve of his pajamas and gave Yuuri a little smile along with a nod. He looked out the window at the dark starry sky. He tried to fight the yawn that came but found that he couldn't. Still, he did not want to sleep. There were two things that still haunted him. First was the worry that his new parents would go away while he slept. The second thing was the horrible nightmares. They were always with him and that made him very scared. Finally, his head nodded as sleep tried to claim him.

"It's ok to sleep Seva," Victor assured him, "Yuuri and I will be right here when you wake up, and if we aren't, we won't be far."

Victor smiled down at the little boy. He was thrilled Seva had spoken, even if it was one word said in fear.

_But_, he had to wonder, _if Yuuri is Daddy, then what will I be to Seva?_ _But that is something that we can deal with later._

"We need to celebrate you talking, for sure," Victor said, hiding the little bit of worry that nagged at him, "But first I think all good boys should get some sleep."

Victor brushed Seva's hair from his eyes and the boy gave him a sleepy smile.

Yuuri and Victor smiled back at him.

"How about we lie down?" Yuuri asked Seva.

Soon the two were settled in bed.

"Aren't you gonna sleep too Victor" Yuuri asked, looking to his husband.

"I will, but first I'm going to the hot spring. I have some things that need thinking about. Is that okay, Seva? Will you be okay with Yuuri?" Victor asked, picking up his phone from the floor.

He plugged it in waiting for his husband and son's answer.

Seva was already asleep, hugging Yuuri's neck, so Yuuri was left to answer.

"Go. We will be fine," he said, smiling up at Victor.

After Victor left, he kissed Seva's hair, joining their son in sleep.

"Wow," Victor sighed, sinking down into the water.

He had a plan for the next day and given what had happened, now he just had to do it. He also knew he still had to call the Russian police, but, for the moment, he just wanted to relax and plan for the next day. Victor had his eyes closed and they only opened when he felt someone else enter the spring. He smiled at Yuuri's dad and invited him in. The two men talked quietly as they relaxed.

The next morning, Yuuri woke up to find himself in Victor's arms with Seva in his own. He could tell the little boy was awake but trying to be quiet and still, so he would not wake his sleeping parents.

"Good morning Seva," he said, then he whispered, "Should we wake Victor?"

He smiled as the boy slipped from his arms and silently moved around the bed until he was next to Victor.

Seva suddenly lost his footing and crashed to the floor, causing a loud thump which woke Victor with a start.

"Oh hello my little one," Victor said, peeking down at the startled, but unhurt boy and giving him a smile.

He sat up, stretching.

"You know, last night I had a great idea. I think we should go out as a family to have your favorite food. Do you think you can tell Daddy and me what that is?"

Victor was all smiles. Last night had not been the time to try and get Seva to say more, but now just might be the perfect time. He noticed Yuuri sitting up and looking at him.

"My little one, you are safe with us. You know that right?"

Victor was beaming as he sat on the edge of the bed with Yuuri, Seva facing them both.

The little boy's huge, soft brown eyes got even bigger, if that was possible. But this time, it was from joy, not fear.

"Yes Papa," he mumbled, chewing on his lip as he shuffled his feet staring down at them and suddenly feeling shy.

He gasped as Victor practically squealed, jumping to his feet, picking Seva up and spinning him. When the spinning stopped, he found himself held between Victor and Yuuri. He had not felt this safe in a long time, not since before his father had died.

"I like ice cream best," came his little voice.

"That is not proper food for breakfast," Yuuri said, cutting off his husband, who looked more than ready to spoil the boy with the indulgence anyway, "But I know a very good ice cream shop we can go to after we get some real food into us. I also think it might be time to get you some more clothes. Would you like that, Seva?"

Yuuri smiled when Seva nodded.

"Are you done talking for now. It is ok if you are taking your time," he assured the boy.

Both men laughed when Seva gave a shy little nod with a smile on his face.

"That's a great idea," Victor agreed.

The little family left the bed and dressed, then they headed to the dining room where Hiroko and Toshiya were waiting with a large breakfast. Minako had dropped by as well, and was quickly invited to join them. Victor and Yuuri were glad to see Seva digging in and savoring his food after only picking at it and hardly eating much before. When they were done eating, Victor led Yuuri and Seva outside.

"Okay, today is a day off from skating and ballet, so let's get this celebration going."

Victor was excited he got to spend some of his considerable wealth on something so worthy. He didn't like to show off, but this was a happy day. Suddenly, he noticed Seva staring at Minako and he had an idea.

"Seva, would you like to invite Minako to go with us?" he asked, getting a shy nod in reply, "Okay"

Victor took the boy by the hand and led him over to the woman.

"Minako, we are going shopping and for ice cream. Seva would like to know if you would like to come with us."

Victor was all smiles.

Minako blinked in surprise.

"Shouldn't this really be family time?" she asked, but when Seva looked ready to cry, she acted quickly, kneeling down so she was level with the little boy, "You are a wonderful little boy. Seva. Not only are you a natural skater and dancer, you are kind as well as cute as can be. You remind me so much of Yuuri when he was little."

Minako paused when she heard Seva mumbled something like the word Daddy. she blinked again, sharing a look with Seva's parents.

"On second thought I would love to come," she smiled, seeing the boy beam in a way that reminded her instantly of Victor.

The small group of four left the hot spring and walked through the quiet streets, passing a number of townspeople, who called out greetings to them. Victor and Yuuri exchanged happy glances as Seva didn't speak, but silently mouthed the Japanese greeting he heard everyone shouting.

They reached the shopping district and Minako put her hands on her hips and looked around.

"Well, if we're looking for clothes, that shop over there is good, and there's a shoe shop that I really like too."

They ended up walking down the row of stores, stopping here and there. Minako and Victor chattered happily, picking things out together for the boy to try on, and Yuuri helped Seva in the dressing room. At each shop, Victor made several purchases, then he arranged for the new things to be sent to the hot spring.

Finally, it was time to go for ice cream. Seva took hold of Yuuri's handas the two started to cross the street fallowing Victor and Minako. Suddenly, tires squealed as a car hurtled towards the father and son, completely out of control.

"SEVA" Yuuri shouted, pushing the boy towards Victor and Minako, away from the cars path.

But the act of getting Seva to safety left him a wide open target for the big black car. The car hit him sending him flying onto the hood, crashing into the windshield hard enough to crack the glass, and over the car he so he landed hard on the ground behind it.

"DADDY" Seva screamed running to where Yuuri had landed, "Not again! Someone hurt another Daddy," he cried, the words broken up by hard sobs.

Seva reached out to shake Yuuri, who was out cold and was bleeding from cuts on his head.

Before anyone in the small crowd that had gathered could react the car tires screeched again and the driver fled the scene.

Victor was at his son's side in an instant.

"No Seva, we can't move him."

He took the boy into his arms as Minako called for an ambulance.

"I'm going to do what I can to help him without moving him," Victor explained to the boy, "Seva, you must stay with Minako. Do you understand?"

"Okay," the boy answered, wiping his eyes as he accepted Minako's hand.

Victor moved to Yuuri's side and knelt beside him.

"Victor," Minako said warningly.

"He's breathing," Victor said, reaching down to check for a pulse, "and his heart is beating."

"Don't…"

"I know," he assured his worried friend, "I'm only making sure that he can breathe okay."

Victor petted Yuuri's hair with shaky hands.

"You're going to be all right," he whispered as tears welled up in his eyes, "Help is coming. Be strong, Yuuri. Seva needs you. I need you."

Within moments, the sound of an ambulance rose up in the distance, and an emergency rescue team arrived. Two medics swiftly moved to join Victor at Yuuri's side.

"What happened?" the first medic asked quickly.

"He was hit by a car that left after," Victor reported, "H-he was thrown over the top and f-fell. I made sure he could breathe, and that his heart was beating."

"You did fine," the second medic assured him.

The man paused, his eyes going wide as he recognized the two men.

"Victor?" he said in a worried voice, "and this is Yuuri Katsuki?"

"Yes," Victor affirmed, "Please help him! Yuuri has to be all right!"

"We'll do our best," the medic said reassuringly, "I promise he will have the best of care. Now, why don't you go and wait with Minako while we prepare him to be transported?"

His heart still in his throat and his emotions barely contained, he returned to Minako and knelt, holding Seva against him.

"Yuuri will be all right," he promised, "I know these men. They are good people, very good medics. They got to him quickly. Seva…"

"He'll d-die!" Seva sobbed.

Victor and Minako exchanged helpless glances.

"No," Minako said firmly, "They are going to help him. You and Victor and I just need to be strong for him. We are going to stay right here, and then Victor will go to the hospital in the truck with them and I will take you over, myself. In fact, why don't we get on our way over?"

Seva gave her a doubtful look, but Victor nodded his approval.

"Go with Minako to the hospital. Yuuri and I will be there soon."

Several hours later, the three sat in a private waiting room of the hospital. Seva was curled up in a chair next to Minako asleep. Victor was pacing back and forth. Suddenly, a doctor appeared. Victor's jaw clenched and he paled.

"Yuuri?" he asked anxiously.

"Mr. Nikiforov, your husband was very lucky. He must have tremendous reflexes to suffer an incident like this without a single broken bone to be found. The was some head trauma, but all the scans came back good. We will need to monitor him through the night. We will know more when he wakes up. There is no reason I can see why he won't wake soon. The three of you can go sit with him, but you will need to call for someone the instant he wakes up."

"Yes, of course Doctor."

Barely able to comprehend anymore, Victor heard someone assure him that the police had taken to searching for the man in the car. He watched Minako pick up Seva and the three headed down the hallway, to Yuuri's room. The sight of the love of his life in a hospital bed broke his heart, and he felt tears leaking down his cheeks.

_I need to call the Russian authorities, but now is not the time. _

Still, Seva's words rang in Victor's ears.

_Another Daddy._

Anton's death had definitely not been an accident.

"Minako can you stay here? I need to call Yakov," Victor said, getting a nod in response.

Meanwhile, the man in the black car was on the phone.

"Seems like the kid definitely saw what I did to Anton," he said with certainty.

"Watch them. Let me know as soon as Yuuri Katsuki has recovered" came the voice from the other end of the call, "We'll need to be ready."


	8. Chapter 8: The Call

Chapter 8: The Call

**"What do you mean you're in the hospital with Yuuri? What the hell happened?"**Yakov yelled in his normal harsh tone, showing anger to hide the concern he felt.**"I will be on the next flight out. Make the call you need to make and try not to do anything stupid until I get there."**

Yakov hung up without saying goodbye.

"What have you gotten yourself into now Vitya?" he said quietly to the empty room he sat in.

Victor took a breath and began speaking in Russian when his call was answered.

"Yes you can help me," he answered the woman who answered, "My name is Victor Nikiforov and I need to speak to the person in charge of the investigation of the death of Anton Lyutov."

"I'll put you through. Please hold."

Soon he had been put through to the proper person.

"This is Detective Pronichev. You are Victor Nikiforov, named legal guardian of Mr. Lyutov's son?"

"Yes," Victor replied, "I am calling to report something I think will be important for you to know"

He explained, then, what Seva had shown them with the dolls. When he was done, the line was silent for a long time.

"Are you still there?" he asked still speaking in Russian.

"Yes I am," the detective answered, "Thank you for the information. I cannot tell you the details of an open investigation, but I can tell you Mr. Lyutov's death was no accident and is being investigated as a homicide. I will be in touch. I think the safest place for you and the boy is where you are now. I assume you are in Japan with your student and lover's family? I know your career well, young man. Again, I will be in touch. Be careful."

The man frowned when Victor told him about the accident involving Yuuri, but he kept his opinions to himself and bid goodbye to Victor.

Victor hung up his phone and returned to the room where his husband slept. He walked into a meltdown from Seva, who was now awake.

"Hey now calm down my little one. You have to be quiet so Daddy can rest," Victor soothed him, rubbing the boys hair.

He noticed Seva had a death grip on the rail of Yuuri's bed.

**"HE'S GOING TO DIE!" **Seva choked out "They…they…they…"

Heavy sobs wracked his small, slim body as he gulped down air and released it violently.

"Mr. Nikiforov," a nurse interjected, entering the room suddenly and startling the boy, "I am sorry, but if you cannot quiet your son, he is going to have to leave. He is disturbing other patients, who must be able to rest."

"No!" Seva shouted, tightening his grip on Yuuri's bed, his little knuckles going white with the grip.

He looked at all the monitors Yuuri was hooked up to.

"I want to stay with Daddy. I couldn't help my first Daddy but my new Daddy is different. They are not here anymore," the boy sobbed, dropping his head onto the matress next to Yuuri's sleeping body.

Seva's words struck Victor's heart like a ton of bricks. Had Anton's death and Yuuri being run down been connected? He had a feeling the two events were connected, but he said nothing for now, not wanting to scare Seva. Instead, he spoke to the boy in a soft, soothing tone.

"He is not going to die Seva," Victor assured his son, "While you were sleeping, I talked to the doctor. He said Daddy has no broken bones and he will wake up very soon. Please try to stay calm. It will be all right. You have to be calm and quiet down, now, if you want to stay here," Victor said as he picked up Seva letting the boy cry more softly, into his shoulder.

Minako blinked in surprise.

"When did he start talking?" she asked.

She had heard the scream of Daddy when Yuuri was hurt but she figured that had been a fluke. She smiled softly rubbing the little boys back to calm him.

"Last night?" Victor recalled, "Everything is such a blur, you know."

"Yeah," Minako agreed, "It's so cute that he calls Yuuri Daddy."

She heard him mumble Papa as he hugged Victor's neck.

"That's cute. Daddy and Papa," she said smiling.

Suddenly the was a groan from the bed. Minako spun around.

"Yuuri!" she exclaimed as Victor hit the call button for the nurse.

Soon all three of them stood in the hall in front of the door to Yuuri's room while the doctor and nurse checked Yuuri out. Seva started to cry again silently.

"Don't worry, Seva, the doctor just has to talk to him ok?" Minako reassured the child who was still in Victor's arms.

"Are you sure he won't die" Seva asked, his voice hoarse from all the crying.

Seva squeezed Victor's neck.

"You can put me down, Papa."

When he was set down, he took Minako's hand, knowing that Victor would soon be busy.

"Did they find the man in the black car?" he asked, having caught a glimpse of the driver when he had run towards Yuuri after landing hard on the ground when he was pushed out of the way, "He had dark hair."

Seva chewed on his lip, but said nothing more and didn't plan to say any more. As far as he was concerned due to this new trauma that talking caused pain.

"He will recover," came the voice of the doctor as he came into the hall, "You can go in now but don't squeeze him too tightly."

The doctor smiled down at the boy.

"Wait, Mr. Nikiforov. I need to speak to you," he said, waiting until Minako and boy were in Yuuri's room with the door closed, "He has a severe concussion. I want to keep him for a week to give his body sufficient time to heal. That way, we can keep an eye on him for any other symptoms. No bones are broken, as I said before, but there is deep bruising, so it will take time for the tissues to heal. I know what you both do for a living, so I know your threshold for pain is higher than most people's. I won't say he can't skate. I know he will not listen, but as his coach I expect you to make sure he does not push himself, once released. I understand your son was also involved in the accident. I would like to give him a once over, just to make sure there is no damage."

The doctor was solemn, but had a gentleness to him.

"Yuuri pushed him out of the way so he wasn't hit, but he did fall, so I guess that is the best thing. I will go get him," Victor said, having no idea how Seva was going to react to this, but hoping it would be ok.

"Seva," he opened the door and called to the boy who was sitting on the edge of Yuuri's bed, "We have to go with the doctor so he can make sure you are ok. How does that sound?"

Victor took Seva's hand, leading him to the exam room next door. After a thorough once over, the doctor found a cut on the boy's knee that required stitches and a few bruises on his hands and arms, where he had tried to catch himself when he landed. Luckily, the doctor did not have dark hair so Seva let him clean and stitch the gash, staying calm but silent. After the stiches were done, the doctor let them return to Yuuri's room. Victor opened the door for Seva only to find two police officers talking with Yuuri and Minako. Both were dark haired and wore dark uniforms. Seva freaked out, running to the corner of the room and cowering.

Seva was shaking like a leaf, eyes closed and hands over his ears like he expected a sound that did not come. The officers were understanding after the situation was explained to them. Seva crawled around the edge of the room to his Daddy avoiding the officers at all costs but his wild eyes never left them.

"Daddy," he said getting to Yuuri but then he went silent again and no amount of trying and coaxing would get him to speak. Yuuri pulled the little boy into the bed with him trying to get him to talk, but Seva remained shaken and silent.

"You don't have to talk if you don't want to," Yuuri said reassuringly.

He finished giving his statement to the officers, as did Minako and Victor. The officers thanked them and assured all four of them they were looking for the car and its driver. As they were leaving, one of the officers pulled out a small teddy bear and gave it to Victor for Seva, having a feeling the boy would not take it from him.

After they were gone, Minako went to call Yuuri's parents, leaving the two men alone with their son. But the little family did not get the peace they had hoped for. Minako rushed back in after her call. She looked mad and panicked all at the same time.

"The press is here," she warned them, "They know about the accident and the car."

"Hmm," Victor sighed, "I guess it's to be expected with the fact that Yuuri and I are celebrities, but this needs to be handled cautiously, "Minako, will you please stay with Seva and Yuuri? I will go and handle this."

"You be careful what you tell them," Minako said sternly, "You don't want whoever did this to get any information we don't want them to have."

"I will be careful," Victor promised, leaning over to offer his husband and child each a gentle kiss on the cheek, "I've been dealing with press for most of my life. I know what to say. I will be right back."

He left the room and walked down the hallway to the nurse's station, where he found the reporter, Morooka, speaking to one of the staff.

"I'm sorry, but you can't go to the room," the nurse said, blocking his path, "You know that."

"Yes, I was hoping that I could get a message to Victor," Morooka explained.

"I am here," Victor said as he approached, "This isn't really a good time."

"I know that," Morooka answered, moving closer, "I didn't come here to cause trouble or to ask any questions. I came here to tell you something. Actually, two things."

Victor didn't answer, but looked back at him curiously.

"First, I just want to say on behalf of all of us who cover your and Yuuri's careers, we hope very much that Yuuri is well and back on the ice soon."

"Thank you for that," Victor responded quietly, "We hope for that too."

"And," Morooka added, "I wanted to give this to you."

Victor frowned even more curiously as he accepted the small flash drive from the reporter.

"What is this?"

"I don't know how helpful it will be, but, while I was speaking to some potential witnesses to what happened to Yuuri, one of the people told me that he caught an image of the car and scene just before the impact, in the background of a photo he was taking. He tried to sell it to me for quite a bit of money."

Victor's frown turned into a deep scowl.

"I know, right?" Morooka sympathized, "Luckily, my cameraman was there, and he recorded the man trying to sell me the evidence."

"You…?" Victor mused, blinking in surprise.

"Like I said, I don't know if it will help. The image is blurry and will need to be evaluated by someone who really knows their stuff. But, if it does clear up enough, we could have a picture of the hit and run driver."

Victor looked down silently at the flash drive, his expression unreadable.

"I did keep a copy of the image," Morooka went on, "but I made sure that the jerk who took it won't sell it to anyone, and I promise that I won't show it to anyone until the police have had a chance to study it themselves."

Victor gave the reporter a confused look.

"You're not going to…?"

"No," Morooka answered, shaking his head, "I'm not giving this to the station right now."

"But, the story is worth a lot, obviously."

"I know," Morooka sighed, "It's just that your family's safety is worth more. Victor, I have been following your career and Yuuri's for a long time. I can't express how much of a pleasure that has been. If there is something that I can do to keep someone from hurting you, that's more important than my next story."

Victor's eyes returned to the flash drive in his hands.

"I don't know what to say," he confessed softly, "Thank you doesn't seem like enough, you know?"

"You don't have to say anything," the reporter said solemnly, "Just give this to the police and hope that it helps them to find whoever this is and stop them from hurting you or anyone else again."

A little smile returned to Morooka's face as Victor took his hand in a warm handshake.

"And…it wouldn't hurt if you could let me know when I _can _give this to the station. What do you say?"

A small chuckle escaped the Russian skater and he gave Morooka a little nod.

"I'll be sure that you know as soon as the police are done trying to clean up the photo. Who knows if it will amount to anything, but if it does, I think you more than deserve the chance to be the first to report on it."

"Thank you, Morooka, really," Victor said gratefully, "I'll make sure this gets into the right hands."

The reporter started to turn away, but paused as Victor's voice sounded again.

"And…when the time is right, I promise that my family will give you an exclusive interview."

Morooka gave him a shocked look.

"But, you don't know if this will even amount to anything."

"Neither did you when you protected me and my family by keeping this quiet and getting it to me," Victor reasoned, "You are the reason we may get a glimpse of this person without them knowing we have it. If it works out and the police can identify the man, then maybe we can find him before he knows we're looking. I'm sure the police will do their best. And I want to show you my appreciation for you just giving us the chance to do that."

"Well, thank you," Morooka said, nodding, "I just hope they catch whoever did this."

"I hope so too."

Victor watched as the man left, then he took out his phone and quickly dialed a number. When the phone was answered, he tightened his hand around the flash drive and smiled very slightly.

"Yes, you told me to call if there was any more information," Victor explained.

"Did you or your son remember something that could help?" the detective on the other end of the line asked.

"Maybe," Victor answered, "I need to see you now. We may have a picture of the man who was driving the car."

"I'm on my way to you," the detective replied, "Stay where you are and don't mention it to anyone. If we can identify the driver, we may be able to apprehend him before he knows we've got his identity."

"That's what I'm hoping," Victor agreed, "I just hope that the picture can be cleaned up enough to show his face."

"Don't you worry," the detective assured him, "I have the best team in Japan. If anyone can clear up the picture, they can. Just stay where you are. I'll be right there."


	9. Chapter 9: The Kick

"Why the hell do I have to go with you? I know you don't think I care if the pork cutlet bowl was hurt," Yuri Plisetsky huffed as he sat on a plane with Yakov.

The blond teenager was beyond pissed off, however it was not clear with whom he was angry. Was it being forced to fly all of the way to japan at ungodly hours of the morning? Was it the fact that his time with Otabek had been interrupted? Or was it that he was on some level, deep down, actually worried about his fellow skaters?

"That stupid pork cutlet bowl better not be too badly hurt. I still have to kick his and Victor's asses on the ice.

"You are here because I am your coach and I said so is the short answer and the only one you need," the old coach said.

There was a bigger reason at play but he didn't want to scare the boy. If someone was after Vitya or those close to him, the blond Yuri could be in danger as well. But Yakov was not about to tell the teenager this, so instead he used a very legitimate excuse.

"There is also the matter of your training. You won't be allowed to slack off, even if it means we use the rink Yuri Katsuki uses until we can go home," Yakov snapped, closing the subject.

Luckily, his pupil seemed to accept this as a fact that could not be changed. The two fell silent as the plane flew closer to Vitya and Yuuri.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Mr. Nikiforov," came the voice of one of the detectives from earlier, "thank you for the call. You said you had something for us?" he said as he stepped into Yuuri's hospital room, "I need to express how much this means and I promise my team will do their best to get this cleared up. I also wanted to ask you to limit your time with the press. We don't want any information to get out that we don't want released. Like the fact this little one is talking if only a little."

The detective looked at Seva, who was fast asleep next to Yuuri, holding his Daddy's hand while he slept. With that, the detective moved to take his leave, but stopped short with his hand on the door handle.

"My boss thinks it would be best to put one of my men at the door as protection against anyone who may want to hurt Yuuri or your family. I agree but I would like to know what you think," he said.

Victor's eyes widened for a moment.

"I think that may draw unwanted attention," Victor answered, "but my family's safety comes first. So, do what you have to do. I do have one…well, it is more than a request, but I don't know what else to call it. The man you leave can't have dark hair. It will frighten my son. I'm sure you remember his reaction to you and your partner before. I know this is an odd and perhaps difficult request with us being in Japan, where a lot of people have dark hair and eyes."

Victor was stopped by the detective who held up a hand to stop the skater from talking.

"I understand," he assured Victor, "Luckily, I have a few men who are part of my unit, that are not originally from Japan, so they don't have dark hair or eyes. I will make sure one of those men are posted. Your comfort is important, as well as your safety."

With that, he was gone after getting a list of people to be allowed to enter the room.

"Victor" Minako said.

She was going to tell him to go back to Yu-Topia, but she knew he would not listen to her. So, instead, she did the only thing she could do, and that was pull him into a hug.

"I am going to go. I will be back tomorrow, probably with Yuuri's family. Try to get some rest," she said as she left.

_What a mess…_she pondered.

Victor sat in a chair in the corner of the room and without realizing it, nodded off into sleep.

_The next thing he knew, he woke up the next morning to find Seva asleep in Yuuri's bed, but Yuuri was gone. Victor sat bolt upright, jumping out of the chair and pushing the nurse call button before running into the hall just in time to see a gurney with a body bag on it being pushed away. He reached out a shaky hand, pulling it open to find his husband stone cold and still…clearly dead. Victor started screaming._

"Mr. Nikiforov," came a voice into Victor's sleeping mind.

The nurse shook the sleeping man, who was clearly having a nightmare. She let out a relieved sigh when the skater opened his eyes.

"Are you all right? That must have been one hell of a dream," she said, glad he was staying mostly calm.

"Yuuri," Victor said, feeling like he had swallowed rocks.

His heart was still racing as he looked around the room and spotted Seva sitting on the window sill, looking outside.

"Has Yuuri gone for more tests?" he asked, seeing his husband's bed empty.

He could not shake his dream. But he visibly relaxed when the nurse confirmed that Yuuri was having some more scans done and would be back soon. After the nurse left, Victor went and scooped Seva up. "Hello, my little one. What do you think we should do? Go find something to eat?"

Victor kissed the boys head. Suddenly, he could hear a commotion in the hall.

"Stay here" he said, setting Seva on the hospital bed.

"You can go in sir, but I'm afraid the young man is not on the approved list. He has to stay out here," the officer tasked with protecting the little family was calmly trying to explain to Yakov.

"Yakov!"

Victor was relieved to see the old man, but then it registered that there was another person next to the old coach.

"It's ok officer. Yurio is a friend. He can be approved," Victor said.

By this time, Yuuri had been brought back into the room. After he was settled, Seva went right back to laying in the bed with his Daddy. The boy and his daddy ignored the next thing that came out of Yurio's mouth.

"See, I told you. I know the pork cutlet bowl. I am allowed to be here."

Yurio smirked at the cop with his normal attitude, which was bad with a capital B. The blond moved to go into the room, but he found himself backed into a corner by Victor who had a focused look on his face as he looked at the teenager.

"You can go in Yuuri's room, but none of your normal crap, Yurio. You'll scare Seva, and I swear to god, if you scare our son, you're done. Is that clear?"

Victor's voice was like ice. He waited for Yurio to answer, not letting the boy out of the corner until he got one.

"Crystal," Yurio said as he walked with Victor towards and into Yuuri's room.

Suddenly something dawned on him.

"Wait, did you say son? You and the piggy have a son? OW!" Yurio exclaimed, suddenly jumping on one leg, holding the other in the shin area where Seva had run up to kick the blond as hard as he could, "Why you little…"

Yurio reached for the boy, who had already climbed back into the bed with Yuuri. Yurio growled as the boy stuck out his tongue and spoke a single sentence.

"Don't call my daddy names, meanie!"

"That's my boy," Victor said, smirking, "I told you not to annoy Yuuri or bother our son."

"I wasn't bothering anyone!" Yurio objected loudly, "I wasn't calling him names. I was saying what he is. It's called telling the truth. Not that you'd know anything about that when you're so old and forgetful you can't remember what the truth is!"

"Hmm, I think you'd better take that back," Victor warned him, moving in between the scowling Yurio and the now angry Seva, who was trying to get around his father to give the foul-mouthed Russian skater another feisty kick, "I'm not sure I can keep him from giving you what you deserve for insulting my sweet pork cutlet bowl."

"Grr! Let him try," Yurio began.

"Yuri, shut it!" Yakov snapped, "If you can't stop causing trouble, then wait outside with the guards."

"I don't want to be here anyway. I'll just wait in the…whoa!" the Russian skater yelped as Yakov wrapped a hand around his wrist.

"You'll stay here and you'll SHUT UP!" the old man roared, "Do what you're told."

"What the hell, old man? You just told me to go out…"

"Just stay right there and don't talk!"

"Crazy old fart!"

Yurio continued to scowl and mutter under his breath as he dropped into a chair near the door in a huff. Satisfied that he wouldn't be causing any more trouble for the moment, Yakov turned his attention to Victor.

"We should talk about this situation," Yakov said in a concerned tone, "You know, I told you back when you were seeing that boy, Anton, that it wasn't a good idea. But being yourself, you didn't listen to me, and I think now you are beginning to see why you should have listened."

"Be nice, Yakov," Victor complained, "I didn't know back then that Anton was doing anything bad, and even if I had, you can't help who you fall in love with."

"Idiot!" Yakov spat, "This is why you are always crashing headlong into trouble and doing stupid things!"

He continued ranting for a few minutes in Russian as Victor gazed back at him wordlessly, barely seeming to hear. When the old man calmed and stopped for a breath, he jumped back in.

"I know you are angry at me for not listening to you and for dating Anton. I knew that already. You've scolded me a billion times. Can we just try to solve the problem. Someone just tried to kill Yuuri, and that person may have done that because of something to do with Anton, or it could just have been something else. We have to get to the bottom of this. Yakov, Seva could be in danger. He has been remembering things about a dark-haired man who may have been involved in Anton's death. I know that Seva was found with Anton's body, but no one knows for sure what the boy saw. What we do know is that dark-haired men, except for Yuuri seem to frighten him. He hasn't been able to talk enough to tell us everything. I'm not even sure if he fully remembers everything. But from what he has said, I'm convinced that Anton's death wasn't an accident. The police in Russia agree with me, and the investigator here in Japan who is looking into what happened to Yuuri is also trying to determine if there is a connection."


	10. Chapter 10: The Results

**Chapter 10: The Results**

Victor sat quietly at Yuuri's bedside, watching as Seva rested on the bed, curled up to Yuuri's side, watching a cartoon on the television while Yuuri dozed. The Russian skater's heart warmed at the way his son looked over every so often to make sure that his Japanese parent seemed comfortable, and each time, Yuuri would open one brown eye and catch him looking.

"Are you thirsty?" the boy asked.

"Mmhmm," Yuuri answered, reaching for the cup on the patient table.

"I've got it," Victor said, also reaching.

But Seva was quicker, snatching the cup away and giving the smiling Yuuri a few sips.

"That's much better," Yuuri sighed, laying back against his pillow.

"Does your head feel better, solnyshko?" Victor asked sympathetically.

"Not really," Yuuri sighed, "but it will be. I just need more rest."

"Of course," Victor agreed readily, though his blue-green eyes looked less sure.

"S-sorry," Seva apologized, "It's my fault."

"Little one," Victor objected instantly, "don't you do that. Don't blame yourself."

"He got hurt for me," the boy insisted, blinking away tears, "l-like…like…"

"Seva," Yuuri said, taking the boy's hand, "you didn't do anything wrong. We were just walking and someone tried to hurt you. It was nothing you did, and I'm glad I could save you, even though I got hurt."

"Just be faster next time, Katsudon," Yurio chided him, from where he stood with Yakov, near the hospital room door.

Yuuri smirked and started to shake his head, then he winced and groaned.

"Yuuri, please rest some more," Victor said, eyeing Yurio warningly, in a way that clearly said, Shut up, brat.

Suddenly, the sound of someone clearing their throat emanated from the doorway. All eyes in the room turned to see Yuuri's doctor entering the room, wearing a serious expression.

"Pardon me, folks," the older man said apologetically, "I need to speak to Yuuri and Victor alone. Could you please wait in the hall?"

The doctor kept his tone even, so as not to upset or scare the two men's son. Luckily for the little family, the doctor was one in support of a union like Victor and Yuuri's marriage.

"Seva, go with Yakov and Yurio," Yuuri instructed the boy, beating Victor to saying something, "The three of you just need to go into the hall for a few minutes, then you can come back and stay with me. This will just be until the doctor finishes talking to us. It will be fine. You can trust Yakov. He was your Papa's coach, like Papa is my coach now."

"I met him before and he yells a lot," Seva mumbled chewing on his lip, a bad habit they would have to break eventually.

But the little boy took the old man's hand obediently, pausing only to take one last look at his parents before being led into the hallway. He looked up at Yakov with the big brown eyes and took a breath.

"Why did we have to leave?" he asked.

"Because the doctor said, you little brat," Yurio snapped before Yakov could answer.

"The only brat here, at the moment, is you, Yuri. Now shut your mouth!" Yakov said, cutting off any protests with a glare, "Sometimes doctors need to talk to those they are treating without extra people," the old coach said without his normal gruff tone (after all he didn't want to scare the boy more than already had been done).

In the hospital room, the doctor took a look at his notes and Yuuri's test results.

"Your first scan came back looking, good but now that the new ones that are more detailed have come back, I have some concerns I need to go over with the two of you. First, your head trauma is more extensive than we first suspected. Given that, you may experience some problems with muscle memory and repetitive tasks. Unfortunately, like skating, which I know is your profession. The area of your brain that controls these things is showing odd readings, but we won't know for sure until you try. This could fix itself or it could be permanent."

"Yuuri's skating…?" Victor gasped softly, glancing at his equally worried partner, "You say that it could be permanent?"

"Sadly, yes, it could be," the doctor admitted, "but I want to make it clear to you that it is just one possibility. It is not a certainty, and there are things that we can do, helpful therapy strategies. While Yuuri is not, as they say, out of the woods, there is every reason to be confident that he will make a full recovery. The brain really is an amazing thing, though in some ways is frustratingly elusive."

The doctor gave them a reassuring smile.

"The second thing is somewhat better news. The bruises are deep tissue, but they are not as deep as we thought. As I have said before, there are no broken bones, which in and of itself, is a miracle. Still, as I also said, we will need to keep you here for at least a week," he said.

"Ugh," Yuuri sighed, "a whole week? I can't be in this place a whole week. We need to…"

"You need to rest," Victor interrupted, "It's probably better that you're here so that you won't be distracted from that."

"I don't sleep well in the hospital," Yuuri complained, "and I want to be with you and Seva."

"I'll bring Seva every day to visit you," Victor promised, "and I'll be here too."

"Your family can visit all that you want, as long as you are able to rest properly."

The doctor paused, checking his notes and Yuuri's chart a final time.

"Do you have any questions for me before I go?" he asked.

When the couple shook their heads, the doctor left the room.

"You can go back in," he said to the ones waiting outside the door, as he turned to walk down the hall.

Seva took off like a shot, skidding to a halt just before he crashed into his daddy's bed. He crawled up into the bed, taking Yuuri's hand before drifting off to sleep, leaving the others to talk quietly so as not to wake the boy.

Yurio plopped into a chair in the corner and began scrolling through his phone paying no attention to the adults in the room, his hood up. Suddenly, he came across something that made him jump up.

"Look" he said, holding up his phone to show an article about the accident.

The only problem was it was in Russian. Victor plucked the phone from Yurio's hand and read the article.

"This is not surprising, as we are celebrities after all, and there were reporters from all over in town already from when they ambushed us at Yu-Topia. But this is good. For once, the press seems to not know any more than they should," the silver haired skater said as he handed the phone back to Yurio.

Suddenly, he heard the officer in the hall talking, so he poked his head into the hall, smiling when he saw Minako and Yuuri's parents.

"Oh Vic-Chan," Yuuri's mother said hugging her son-in-law when he stepped into the hallway before she joined everyone in the room where her son was, "Oh Yuuri! Are you alright dear?" she asked, careful not to wake Seva.

She looked sadly at the little boy.

"Minako said he has started talking," she said hopefully.

"Yeah, he is, at least a little. I think the shock of seeing another parent hurt shook him partly out of it. But we are not pushing him. I know you will respect that and do the same thing."

Yuuri looked down Seva then he looked through the doorway into the hall.

"Is dad here too?" he asked getting a nod and being told his father was talking to Victor.

Yuuri's father looked at Victor.

"Now Vic-Chan, I don't want you or Seva to blame yourselves for this, even though I know that it's easier said than done," the older man said, "We will all need to do our best to help Yuuri through this, just as we are helping with Seva."

With that the two men entered Yuuri's room.

XXXXXXXXXX

In the crime lab, Detective Maeda, the officer assigned to Yuuri's case watched closely as the lab techs tried to clean up the picture Victor had given him. His grey eyes narrowed, squinting slightly, and he shook his head in frustration.

"Is that as clean as you can get it?" he asked, leaning over a techs shoulder.

"Sir, I am doing the best I can, but I do have a few more things to try before I say I can't do any more, so just you wait," the tech responded.

"Right," Maeda sighed, wondering if there was really time for waiting.

_Everything about this suggests that this is not the end of the threat to Katsuki Yuuri's life. We need to put a face on this perpetrator as soon as possible._

He frowned more deeply and glanced at his watch, then he turned and walked back to a chair in the corner of the room. The techs continued their methodical labors, noting the results of their efforts as each attempt played out.

_I feel it all over, the detective thought, We're running out of time._

XXXXXXXXXX

In Russia, Detective Kuznetsov, the man in charge of handling Anton's case, was on the phone.

"Sir," said a younger detective, "we've just received the security camera footage from where Anton Lyutov and his son were found."

"Good," Kuznetsov said approvingly, "I'm sure that the killer or killers might have been caught on camera."

"I hope so, or this case isn't going to go much farther," the younger detective worried.

"Well," said the older man, taking a drag of his cigar, "we've done all we can. Now all we can do is to wait and see if the faces of these bastards can be seen clearly. That'll be the key to this."

Suddenly, he noticed his cell phone had a news story on his feed about Yuuri's accident. 'Lucky they are famous' he thought, instantly thinking there was a connection there. He finished on his desk phone and hung up, talking aloud to himself.

"Well I think I am going to Japan."

XXXXXXXXXX

A dark-haired man crept in the shadows near the back of the Hasetsu hospital, moving into position to watch one of the second floor windows. He took a pair of binoculars out of his coat and looked through, smirking as his sights found Victor Nikiforov, sitting at his injured husband's bedside with the couple's son resting on the bed beside Yuuri. He reached into his pocket with his free hand and pulled out a cell phone, then he entered a Russian number.

"Oska?" a deep voice inquired.

"I have position to watch them, Gedeon," the dark-haired man reported.

"Have you seen it on him?" the voice on the other end asked.

"No, not yet," Oska replied.

"It would be something small that could carry the flash drive, maybe a sort of good luck charm that he would keep with him."

"I've been watching carefully, but I just can't get a glimpse of it."

"I know I am right about this. Somehow or other, Anton put the drive in Victor's possession."

"Sorry boss. I will keep watching and…"

"Nevermind that, then," Gedeon instructed him, "We'll get what we want soon enough. Do you have a plan to get Victor to leave the two at the hospital?"

"Yes, but there are too many guards and people going constantly in and out, sir. Even at night, it's going to be difficult, but I will find the way."

"Hmm, well, it needs to be soon. There are police poking around and asking questions. We don't want them to learn that Anton had anything that could be useful as evidence against us."

"Don't worry, boss, I have this. I will set the proper pieces in place and then I will make my move. In no time, you will have what you want from Victor and we will no longer have anything to worry about."

"Good," Gedeon growled softly, "I want this to be over."


End file.
